New coastal rail project gains steam

DEL MAR  A long-awaited plan to put a rail platform near the Del Mar Fairgrounds and create a second track on a one-mile stretch of the coastal rail line is gaining steam, even though construction appears to be years away.

The San Diego Association of Governments hosted the first of many project-scoping meetings Tuesday for the San Dieguito Double Track and Special Events Platform project at the Del Mar Hills Academy.

In an open-house style format, about 50 meeting attendees were able to peruse stations dedicated to different parts of the project, ask questions and leave comments.

“There are a few issues that are near and dear to us and the train is one of them,” said Del Mar resident Jim Benedict. He and his wife, Tina, have a view of the tracks from their home.

The project — which would add a second track between Solana Beach and Jimmy Durante Boulevard, replace the wooden San Dieguito Railway River Bridge and add a platform west of the fairgrounds for use during special events — is admittedly in its infancy.

With a completion date potentially more than a decade away – before 2030 – and no construction funds secured, planning sessions, even casual ones, may seem premature.

However, Jack Dale, chair of SANDAG’s board of directors, stressed the importance of being prepared just in case early funding sources materialize.

“What we’re very successful at doing at SANDAG is we get projects shovel ready,” he said. “That’s what we’re trying to do here. Get our engineering done, get our environmental stuff done, so when whoever has money at the time says we’ve got money for projects, we’re ready to go.”

Information presented Tuesday included:

• The San Dieguito River Bridge — As it advances toward its 100th birthday, the wooden bridge, which allows trains to pass over the lagoon, could use an overhaul. While it’s safe, the aging structure has become costly to maintain and congests the San Dieguito Lagoon.

The project calls for a complete renovation of the structure. A modernized, concrete bridge will replace the existing one, the bridge height will be raised to conform to federal flood regulations and the bridge’s support structures will have more space between them. On Tuesday, residents were asked to weigh in on how much taller the bridge should be — the height will probably increase by seven to 10 feet. Linda Culp, a principal planner with SANDAG, said the agency is working toward creating underpasses that local residents could travel under while enjoying the nearby lagoon. “It’s definitely a goal,” she said. “Especially if we could make it easier for folks to do what their doing now, but safely.” Nearby residents will often travel over the tracks to get to the other side of the lagoon, a dangerous and inconvenient move. Space between support pillars is also being debated. Two options were floated to meeting attendees – support pillars 56 feet apart or 98 feet apart. Currently, support structures are only 14 feet apart, a feature that hampers the lagoon’s natural tidal flushing.

• The rail platform — Hearkening back to days of old, the project would resurrect a special events platform near the Del Mar Fairgrounds. It won’t be a full-time station, but residents will be able to use the stop during events like the San Diego County Fair and the Del Mar Race Meet. This addition should ease traffic congestion during busy fairgrounds days, lightening the load on nearby cities and Interstate 5.

There are two platform construction options: a center-loading platform and a side-loading platform.

The side-loading platform option would feature two loading platforms on the outer side of each track. The center loading option would feature a wider platform in between the two tracks, allowing simultaneous access to both directions.

• The second track — While the actual location of the track won’t venture from the railroad’s existing right of way — the land already owned and controlled by the railroad — its specific placement is under discussion. In the west option, the track stays where it is, mostly, but it does run closer to residences on the south end of the track. If this option were favored, the center-loading platform wouldn’t be an option. With the east option, the track moves closer to fairgrounds property. It also allows a portion of nearby salt marsh to be reclaimed but Steven’s Creek would need to be rerouted. The creek now flows through a man-made channel to the lagoon, but at one point it flowed into the nearby salt marsh. The east option would redirect the creek to its previous flow route. Either the side or center-loading platform option could be built with the east track layout.

At Tuesday’s event, Dale thanked visitors for coming and emphasized how much work still needed to be done. But even with a fuzzy timeline and fuzzier funding sources, he encouraged community input throughout the process.

“You’re going to see a lot of SANDAG people tonight and the only reason they’re here is we want to hear from you,” he said.